City of Sparta outlines phases of street paving

Before the second meeting for the month of October for the Sparta Board of Mayor and Aldermen, the board held a work session to discuss several projects and potential opportunities for the city.

During the work session, the board was updated on the progress of city paving, a topic of high interest as the increased revenue from the sales tax increase passed late last year was designated for improvements to city streets. The original projection for 2020 included a two-phase paving plan in which 4.24 miles of roads were to be paved in the first phase. Because of  the need for infrastructure repairs, only 3.52 miles were able to be paved up to this point. The remaining roads, which include portions of Churchill Drive, North Carter Street, Quill E. Cope Street, Turn Table Road, and Howell Street, will be paved during either Phase 2 or in 2021.

Phase 2, which is scheduled to begin shortly, is projected to see another 2.64 miles of roads receive upgraded paving. Roads that are included in the Phase 2 of 2020 include South Highland Drive, Hillcrest Drive, Baker Street, Flatt Street/Luther Road, Whispering Pines Drive, and Winding Lane. In addition, Howell Street, Churchill Drive, and North Carter Street have been moved to Phase 2 along with the recent parking additions that were added to both North and South Carter Street.

City Administrator Brad Hennessee brought a Video Tour opportunity before the board during the work session. The opportunity would consist of a partnership between the city and CGI Communications in which CGI would create a video promoting the city of Sparta.

While the board was interested in producing a video to promote the city, they did not favor some of the language in the potential agreement with CGI and ultimately opted to have Hennessee look into other options and bring back more information to the board.

“One of the things that I don‘t agree with about the video [is that] they get to use it any way they want to. We don’t own it,” alderman Jerry Lowery said during the discussion. “We want to own that video with our pictures and our rights as the city of Sparta.”

Hennessee also presented the board with information about pursuing Water Leak Relief Insurance. The insurance would result in consumers, unless they choose to opt out, paying an additional small fee on their monthly bill, but would be given insurance for repairs in the event of a water leak in their home.

“Many of the systems around us already have this,” Hennessee said and listed the DeWhite, O’Conner, and Quebeck-Walling utility districts among those that offer insurance to their customers.

The board authorized the city administrator to begin looking into insurance options that would be affordable and efficient and to report back to them at a future meeting.

The community was invited to attend the work session and Greg O’Neal and David Zuber approached the board with information about a mountain bike trail that they have been working to complete on city property.

“The Baker Park Mountain Trail is now about 95 percent complete,” O’Neal told the board but also said the plan for the parking lot has changed and will now be utilizing the upper parking lot of the city dog pound as the area already had asphalt. “We thought we could easily install a fence to separate the dog pound and mountain bike trail parking.”

O’Neal and Zuber were there to ask the city if they would provide signs and trash cans for the park.

“We would also ask that we could have a grand opening event to let everyone know that the Baker Park Mountain Bike Trail is officially open after it is completed,” O’Neal requested and said that the hope is that the trail will be both residents and visitors to enjoy. “Mountain biking has become a very popular activity and [this] will be the first in the city limits and the third mountain bike trail in the county.”

During the city’s board meeting that was held immediately following the work session, alderman Jerry Lowery made a motion to provide O’Neal and Zuber with $1,000 to complete the trail. The motion was passed unanimously by the board who expressed support for the new park.

“I would like to do what we can to support them, maybe even put our money where our mouth is,” Lowery said.

Other items on the board meeting agenda, all of which were passed unanimously included the following:

• First reading of Ordinance #20-934. An ordinance amending the Zoning Map of Sparta to change the zoning classifications of two parcels located on North Church Street from Residential R-A (a single dwelling) to a Residential R-B (Multiple units on the same property)
• Parade Permit for the American Legion – Veterans Day Parade, at 10 a.m., Nov. 7
• Beer Permits for Calfkiller Brewing Company for Special Events on Oct. 30 and Nov. 6.

In addition, the board listened to reports by department heads, which all indicated that it was “business as usual” around the city, with no new projects or complications.